Screening times:
Saturday, April 19, 8:30 PM
John Waters | 1988 | USA | 92 min
with Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora
It's John Waters' birthday this month! Born April 22, 1946, the iconic American director's five-decade filmmaking career initially cemented his status as Pope of Trash until garnering more formal recognition at institutions like The Lincoln Centre, The National Film Preservation Board and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. A selection of Waters' films will screen on Saturday nights in April at Carbon Arc!
Set in 1962 Baltimore, Hairspray revolves around Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) a chubby teenager who loves to do the Madison, the Mashed Potato and the Twist and who wins a dance competition on “The Corny Collins Show.” Not only does Tracy become a regular on the popular weekday series but she also wins the heart of handsome dancer Link Larkin (Michael St. Gerard), much to the chagrin of the spoiled teen drama queen on the dance show, Amber Von Tussle (Colleen Fitzpatrick). And it’s not long long before Tracy uses her newfound celebrity to fight segregation on ‘Corny Collins.’
Divine, in his last film role, plays Tracy’s loving mother, Edna, who spends her days ironing clothes for neighbors, as well as the racist owner of the TV station; Jerry Stiller is Tracy’s loving father, Wilbur, who owns a joke shop; Zadora and Ric Ocasek are beatniks; Sonny Bono and Harry are Amber’s ruthless parents; and Stole plays Tammy, Corny’s assistant. Deane actually appears as a TV news journalist, a young Josh Charles pops up as a regular on ‘The Corny Collins Show’ and John Waters plays a bizarre shrink who desperately needs his own shrink.
Waters jokes that Hairspray is the “gift that keeps on giving” because it became the basis for the Tony Award-winning 2002 Broadway musical, a 2007 film version of the Broadway show and a live NBC broadcast in 2016 of the musical.
“Not only Waters’ best movie, but a crossover gesture that expands his appeal without compromising his vision one iota.” - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Winner: Winner National Film Registry - National Film Preservation Board 2022
Tickets $8.75 ($8 cash at the door if available)
